Dein erstes Forum » FA for allowing Rooney to stay up lat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Andy Pettitte finally stopped beating himself up long enough to look at video of his past couple of outings, subpar efforts by any stretch and certainly his own lofty standards. It turned out that all the 40-year-old left-hander needed to do was a make a couple of minor adjustments -- alter his arm angle ever so slightly, for one thing -- to get back on track. Pettitte pitched seven stellar innings Saturday night, and Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead two-run homer before making a long running catch for the final out, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Pettitte (4-2) allowed seven runs against Houston and only lasted five innings his last time out against Oakland. But he looked more like he did early in the season against the Royals, with a piercing cutter and pinpoint control that kept Kansas City at bay all night. "Whenever you get knocked around, its not a good feeling. You never want that doubt to creep in that youre not able to get it done," Pettitte said. "Hopefully I can continue to get sharper and sharper." Pettitte allowed only a run-scoring groundout by Lorenzo Cain and a solo homer by Billy Butler while improving to 15-3 in his career against the Royals. Kansas City hasnt beaten him in 14 starts dating to Sept. 4, 2000. "I really dont think hes forgotten how to pitch, forgotten how to throw a cutter or any of that," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I always say, when youre old or overweight -- and you dont want to be both -- and youre struggling, people are always going to be saying, Is something wrong? Is something wrong? Its baseball. Everyone struggles." Everyone except Mariano Rivera, it seems. After David Robertson struck out the side in the eighth, Rivera worked around a two-out double by Salvador Perez for his 14th save. But it wasnt without some tension: Mike Moustakas hit a liner to right that landed just foul, and then scorched a pitch into the left-centre field gap that Wells tracked down on the run to end the game. It was Riveras 14th save to start the season, and his 28th straight against the Royals. It came just over a year after he tore the ACL in his right knee while shagging balls in the Kauffman Stadium outfield during batting practice. "I think Mo said it best, as an athlete, you can get hurt anywhere," Girardi said. "It just happened to be here. ... Im sure it was good for him to get out there." James Shields (2-3) was hurt by a throwing error on Moustakas at third base in the second inning that resulted in the Yankees first run. He also gave up Wells two-run shot in the fifth, moments after Butlers home run had staked Kansas City to 2-1 lead. Shields wound up going eight innings for the third time in his last four outings, and each of those times hes failed to pick up the win. He dropped to 7-15 in his career against New York. "Youve got to pitch better," Shields said. "Thats it." It was the Royals fifth loss in six games. "Andy Pettitte threw the ball great," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Kept the ball down. Changes speeds. Hit his spots really well. We never mounted much of an attack." The bounces certainly seemed to be going the Yankees way most of the night. Travis Hafner hit a slow grounder toward first base in the fourth inning, and Shields and first baseman Eric Hosmer had trouble deciding who should grab it. Neither of them did until it was too late, and Hafner coasted across the bag for an infield single. Lyle Overbay hit another grounder in the sixth inning that Elliot Johnson fielded at second base, but only after shortstop Alcides Escobar bumped into him. The slight hiccup allowed Jayson Nix to reach second safely and Overbay to be safe at first. Meanwhile, a hard-hit ball by Moustakas leading off the seventh inning caromed off Pettittes glove and right to Robinson Cano. The Yankees second baseman made the soft toss to first, turning a potential base hit into an easy groundout. Cano had another rough night in Kansas City, though. The Yankees All-Star was booed mercilessly for the second straight night by Royals fans who no doubt still remember his decision to snub Butler for the AL squad during last years home run derby, which was hosted by the Royals as part of All-Star festivities. Cano went 0 for 4 and struck out looking in the seventh, arguing with plate umpire Mark Wegner over the third strike. First base coach Mick Kelleher got between them and Girardi also ran onto the field to make sure Cano wouldnt be tossed from the game. NOTES: The Yankees plan to use a pitcher to fill the 26th player on the roster for Mondays doubleheader at Cleveland. Girardi didnt know who it would be. ... Royals RF Jeff Francoeur was back in the starting lineup after having Friday night off. ... RHP Hiroki Kuroda (4-2) will pitch Sundays series finale for the Yankees against Kansas City RHP Ervin Santana (3-1). Wholesale Custom 49ers Shirts . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Custom 49ers Jersey China . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. http://www.custom49ersjersey.com/ . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Nick Bosa Jersey Large . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Cheap Custom 49ers Jersey .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. MANCHESTER, England -- It has been another fraught, headline-grabbing spell away with Englands national team for Wayne Rooney.Once again, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho must pick up the pieces.Rooney is back under Uniteds control after having been forced to apologize for some late-night revelry while on England duty, when he was pictured -- in his England training gear -- looking bleary-eyed at a wedding reception at the team hotel on Saturday.Rooney was criticized by the English Football Associations chief executive, Martin Glenn, for not setting the right tone as England captain, and the strikers conduct has sparked a fresh wave of negative publicity toward a player who has shown erratic behavior on and off the field earlier in his career.Mourinho said Rooney has been hurt by the negativity toward him.Even if you have or if you build a kind of wall around you to try to feel protected from what people write about you or think about you, the comments people make about you, the wall has always points of fragility, Mourinho said. It has always some little holes.And we are not still, we are flesh and blood. So I think it has an effect.Mourinho must be starting to dread Rooney going away with the national team. Two months ago, the United manager said Rooney came back from England duty a different person than when he left after fierce media criticism that he received after his performance in a World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia.Honestly, I think there was a Wayne before the Slovakia-England and a Wayne after Slovakia-England, Mourinho said at the time.Now, Mourinho faces another fight to get Rooney mentally right,, at a time when the striker had got his place back in both Uniteds and Englands team after a spell of poor form.ddddddddddddSometimes (players) come back stronger than when they left us because something positive happens there -- good performances, good results, Mourinho said. Other times, injuries, sometimes big injuries. Other times frustrations because they didnt play, because the result was bad.In this case we know what didnt go well, but the national team is a different chapter and a chapter that is closed now until March.Mourinho suggested that the England management take better care of Rooney next time he is away with the national team. There were reports in the British media that Mourinho felt let down by the FA for allowing Rooney to stay up late and drink alcohol.I learned since I was a kid, if someone lends me something, I have to take care even better than if it was mine, Mourinho said. You know, your friend lent you a pencil, you have to take care of the pencil better than if it was your pencil.So I think when one day if I become a national-team manager, I will try -- try, I am not saying that I will be successful on that -- ... to build something to protect what is not yours.Mourinho also said he feels Rooney has been unfairly singled out for criticism.If you go one by one to see where these 23 (England) players were, the Portuguese coach added, some of them were in worse places than the hotel bar.Rooneys first game back for United is against Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday. ' ' '